Conversations
by BBC Addict
Summary: Various conversations between Jake and Heather and whoever else might wander in. AU, set within the Jericho universe of Jericho-The Road Not Taken...and beyond...I'm marking it complete; if the muse strikes me again there may be additions in the future.
1. Kids

Set after Heart of Winter, before Winter's End

Heather Lisinski held two little girls, Mary Jo Watson and Liza Williams, by the hand. Despite the cold, the little girls were bubbling with excitement. They hadn't been able to play with each other for months! Mary Jo began humming 'Skip to My Lou.' Heather grinned down at the girls and all three broke into a skip, continuing all the way back to the Greens' house.

"What would you like to do? Do you want to play outside a little longer or go inside?" Heather asked.

"Outside, outside!" the little girls cried.

Heather retrieved the Green family football. She held it up to the girls. "Who wants to play catch?" Heather stationed the girls a short distance apart from each other and herself, making a triangle. She demonstrated how to hold the ball and threw it gently to Mary Jo. Mary Jo just managed to catch the ball and tossed it to Liza. Liza completely missed the catch, but her throw back to Heather was good.

Jake heard giggles coming from the yard. He peeked out the window and saw Heather playing in the yard. He smiled as he grabbed his own jacket and joined the girls outside. "Can I play?" he asked.

Heather looked at the girls. "Should we let Mr. Green play?"

"Yes, Ms. Lisinski!" Mary Jo exclaimed. She was an 8 year old flirt and attached herself to Jake for the rest of the day.

After about half an hour of catch, Heather shooed the girls inside to warm up. She went into the kitchen and made hot chocolate-it was a lot of work without a microwave, but Heather thought the chocolaty treat was well worth it. She carried the steaming mugs to the dining room table and called the girls over. "Let's have a tea party!" Liza said.

"Yeah!" Mary Jo agreed. "You sit by me, Mr. Green," she commanded. Jake did as he was told with a slightly bemused look on his face.

All too soon for the girls, it was time to go home. Heather escorted them, playing 'follow the leader' the whole way.

She returned to the Greens' home, thankful to get inside. She pulled off her gloves, hat, scarf, boots, and coat. She still had 'Skip to My Lou' stuck in her head and couldn't help humming it as she put her things away.

Jake grabbed her from behind and swept her to the living room. He flopped down in front of the fireplace and pulled her down next to him. "I didn't know we were having company today."

"It was a last minute thing. I overheard Mrs. Watson and Mrs. Williams talking about how much they missed daycare. They needed to get some things done without the kids around, so I volunteered to take the girls for a little while." Heather snuggled into Jake, appreciating his warmth.

"What was all that 'Mr. Green' stuff?" he asked. "I kept wanting to turn around and look for my dad."

Heather smiled. "It's the teacher in me, I guess, making sure they speak respectfully."

"You must miss school," Jake said.

"Now and then," she replied. "It's such an emotional job. Some days it just warms your heart. Other days you want to pull out your hair."

They both fell silent as the fire crackled. "Do you want kids?" Jake asked, somewhat abruptly.

Heather glanced at him in surprise. "That's a serious relationship question."

Jake flushed a little. "Well, I just-talking about school-you like kids, it just made me wonder if you wanted your own." He shook his head. "This is weird now."

Heather smiled at him. "A little bit, yeah, but we'll get over it." She gathered her thoughts for a moment. "I did want kids. I imagined the whole thing-white picket fence, 2.5 kids, dog, mini-van." She shook her head. "Then there were the bombs. Seeing April worry just emphasizes that this is not a world I'd want to raise a child in." She frowned. "Besides, our kid would more than likely end up fatherless."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, concerned.

"You're constantly doing something dangerous. I know, someone has to or we'd all die. You step up to protect other people. I love that about you. I don't think having a kid would change that. And since I have no intention of being a single mom, Mr. Green, there are no children in our foreseeable future."

"Yes, Ms. Lisinski," Jake said in his best third grader imitation. "You know, I never thought about having kids before," he said, turning serious. "I'm pretty sure I've screwed up my own life enough-I don't want to be responsible for someone else's."

"I think you turned out ok," Heather said.

Jake shook his head. "Only the past few years. Before that, I was irresponsible and self-centered and never thought that anything I did had consequences for anyone else." He became quiet, thinking about Chris Sullivan* and a twelve year old girl in a small village in Iraq.

"Well, maybe your mom will be happy with one grandkid and we'll be off the hook," Heather said, thoroughly unconvinced.

The front door slammed. "Hello," April called.

"We're in here," Jake replied.

April joined them in the living room and sighed as she sat down on the sofa.

"We have some hot chocolate left if you'd like," offered Heather.

"That sounds wonderful," April said. She started to get up.

"No, no, you stay right there," Heather ordered. "You've been taking care of people all day. Let me take care of you."

April smiled her thanks as Heather went to the kitchen. "You have a great girl, there, Jake. Don't do anything stupid and lose her, ok?"

"I promise," Jake said.


	2. People in the Past

"So, Ted Lewis," Jake said to Heather as they sat across from each other at a table in Bailey's.

Heather scented a bit of jealousy. "What about him?" she asked.

"Were you close growing up?" he said, skating around the real issue.

"Yeah," Heather replied. "We lived next door to each other so we played together when we were little. My dad was always pretty busy with work, so Ted taught me all that 'guy stuff' about fixing cars and stripping wires." She was purposely not divulging what Jake really wanted to know.

Jake waited a moment before asking, "Did you guys ever date or anything?"

Heather shook her head. "No." She caught Jake's relieved expression. "I would've gone out with him." Jake's face changed slightly. "He just never saw me that way. Nobody in high school did. And only a couple guys in college." She hesitated. "I was even worried about you for a while."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, puzzled.

"After the bombs, I was pretty impressed with you. It seemed like you liked me, too. Then I noticed how you looked at Emily."

Jake reached for Heather's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Nobody had compared to Emily for a long time. But the day I came back, I saw her and realized that we were never good for each other. Then I got stuck here and I could see she loved someone else. Most of all, I started to get to know you. You're amazing."

Heather smiled. Then she said, "Your turn. How close were you and Emily?"

"Oh, we were an item all through high school and for quite awhile afterward. We were engaged for…twelve hours, I think."

"What?" Heather said incredulously.

"We were seventeen, sitting in my car outside VideoMart. We'd been banned from going in, so we just sat in the parking lot scaring away potential customers. There was alcohol. I blurted out 'let's get married' and Emily said 'sure, why not.' Then the next morning, we looked at each other and said 'no way.' Eventually, stuff happened with Jonah and Chris and I left and that was the end of it."

"So, no rekindling lost love," Heather said a bit mockingly.

"Nah. I don't believe in that one true soul mate 'we were meant to be' stuff. A relationship is what you put into it."

Mary had been saving her generator rations again and as Jake and Heather sat talking, people began trickling in and selecting songs on the jukebox.

Jake largely tuned the music out but then one song caused a big smile to spread across Heather's face. "I know we just said that the whole 'meant to be' thing is crap, but I love this song."

Unable to resist the look on her face, Jake stood. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"I would," she beamed.

_I set out on a narrow way many years ago_

_Hoping I would find true love along the broken road_

_I got lost a time or two, wiped my brow, kept pushing through_

_I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you_

_Every long lost dream led me to where you are_

_Others who broke my heart, they were just northern stars_

_Pointing me on my way into your loving arms_

_This much I know is true_

_That God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you_

_I think about the years I spent just passing through_

_I'd like to find the time I lost and give it back to you_

_You just smile and take my hand_

_You been there, you understand _

_It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true_

As the song ended, Jake held Heather tight. "I love you," he whispered before he leaned down and kissed her.

"Eww, Jake," a voice said from behind. Startled, Jake turned abruptly.

"Shut up, Stanley," he said, giving his best friend a shove.

'**The Broken Road,' listen to whichever artist you prefer, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band or Rascal Flatts. I love this song and it made me think of Jake and Heather.**

**This is set within a few days after the events of ****Black Jack****.**


	3. Thanksgiving

**Thanksgiving dinner, during Red Flag.**

"Mom, I should tell you that I invited Heather over for dinner," Jake said to Gail.

"Oh, that'll be nice," Gail said with a smile. "I invited Emily but she said she was going to spend Thanksgiving with her aunt."

Jake let out a sigh of relief. He'd had enough awkwardness around lately, what with Eric and April; he didn't need Emily and Heather over at the same time.

There was knock on the door. Gail answered. "Heather! Come in, sweetheart."

"Sorry I'm late," Heather said. "I was trying to find something to bring."

"Don't worry about it," Jake said. "I'm glad you could make it."

Gail handed Jake the napkins. "Here, put Heather next to you…"

As Johnston said grace, Gail added her own thanks for the fact that both of her boys were safe, if not both present. Once Johnston had finished, Gail began passing dishes. She glanced around at the happy faces, lingering on Heather's a few extra moments. At first, she'd thought that Jake had simply invited Heather because she was lonely, but it soon became evident that there was more to their relationship. Gail was a little surprised-she'd assumed he still loved Emily. She shook her head. Eric should have taught her not to assume anything about her children's love lives.

"Heather, tell us about yourself," Johnston said.

"I've never been good at this. What would you like to know?" Heather asked.

"What brought you to Jericho?" Gail asked.

"Work," Heather said. "I stayed in Topeka for a few years after I graduated, but I hated living in the city. Jericho was the first small town I found advertising for a teacher. I was already familiar with the area since I lived in New Bern, so here I am."

"What about your family?" April asked.

"I've been on my own for awhile now. My mom died when I was ten, my dad when I was 19. No siblings. My parents weren't close to their families, so I have no idea if they…" she trailed off.

"Well, we're very glad you're spending Thanksgiving with us," Gail said.

Jake rested his hand on Heather's shoulder. She fought off the mist gathering in her eyes and smiled. "I'm very glad to be here, Mrs. Green."

"Please, call me Gail. Mrs. Green was my mother-in-law," Gail replied.

After dinner, Heather promptly offered to help with the dishes. "No, no, honey, that's Johnston's job on holidays," Gail said.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Jake suggested. "April's tired and just going to bed and Mom and Dad are just gonna spend the rest of the night being cute."

Heather restrained a giggle as Johnston stooped to kiss his wife. "Jake's right about that. You two go on."

"Ok. Thank you for a wonderful evening," Heather said as Jake went to get her coat.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Gail said, giving Heather a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Gail stood in front of the sink as Johnston poured in water that had boiled and cooled slightly. Once the sink was full, Gail washed and Johnston dried.

"So, what did you think of Heather?" Gail asked.

"She seems like a real nice girl," Johnston replied.

"I like her," Gail said. "I think she'll be good for Jake."

Johnston paused in his drying duties. "What are you talking about?"

Gail shook her head. "Men. It's obvious Jake likes her."

"But I thought-"

"I did, too," Gail interrupted, "until I saw him with Heather tonight."

Johnston resumed drying. "Well, I'm glad. Emily's a sweet girl, but they sure brought out each other's bad sides."

"Thank you for inviting me, Jake," Heather said as they walked. "It felt like being home again."

"Come over anytime," Jake replied.

"I might just take you up on that," Heather replied, taking his arm. After a few moments of pleasant silence, Heather spoke again. "You owe me a story." Jake looked at her in confusion. "You promised you'd tell me about Emily's dad and that creepy Mitch guy, remember?"

Jake sighed. "I did. You really want to hear that now?"

"I want to know the worst about you right off so nobody can spring it on me later. You know how in movies the bad guys try to drive people apart by dragging up some past secret? I want to be able to say 'Of course, I knew that. You fail.'"

Jake gave a slightly amused smile. "This isn't the worst, I'll save that for another day." The smile vanished, replaced by an expression of regret and sadness. "Emily's dad, Jonah Prowse, he's a thief. He used to haul freight and 'arrange jobs' on occasion. After I finished college, I came back and worked for him. I didn't mind driving, as long as I wasn't involved with obtaining anything. One day, Jonah tells Mitch and me to be at a certain spot because a truck's coming through. He tells us stop it and take what we find. I refused-I wasn't going to rob anybody. Jonah got his son Chris to go in my place. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. He wanted Jonah's approval so badly…" Jake paused for a moment, thinking about how he resembled Chris in that aspect-desperate to prove himself worthy to his father, always seeming to fail. He took a breath and continued. "Anyway, Chris and Mitch went out and stopped the truck; not just any truck-an armored truck. Chris had never been out on a job like that before. He got nervous and accidentally fired a shot and the guards in the back of the truck jumped out shooting. They shot Chris and captured Mitch. After that, Emily blamed me, Jonah blamed me, Mitch blamed me. God, I blamed myself. I couldn't get out of here fast enough."

Heather tightened her grip on Jake's arm. "That's why you said you owed Emily that night at the barbecue."

"Yeah. I can't ever make up for it, though."

"But it wasn't your fault, Jake. You tried to stop him and he made a choice not to listen."

Jake gave her a half-hearted smile. "I try to tell myself that. But being back…" He shook his head. "That was the first time I realized that my choices actually had consequences for someone besides me. If I hadn't started working for Jonah, Chris wouldn't have, either. He followed me out to Jonah's compound once and after that, he was hooked. He thought Jonah was so cool. He was desperate to impress his dad. I might not have been the one who actually shot him, but I'm responsible for him being in that situation."

Heather stopped and stood in front of him, looking up into his eyes and catching his hands in hers. "Life isn't a balance sheet, Jake. There's no account of good and bad that has to add up. When you make a mistake, you have to move on. Hopefully, you learn from it and change if necessary. Maybe you were thoughtless and irresponsible then. But from where I stand, you're selfless. You do whatever you need to do to protect others. You are a good person, Jake."

Jake gazed down into Heather's eyes for a few moments after her little speech. He bent down and kissed her, regardless of who might be watching. "God, you're good for me," Jake said finally.

"You're welcome," she beamed. Heather pressed close against him for a moment. As they resumed their walk, their hands found each other and their fingers entwined.


	4. The Worst

After **Heart of Winter**. 

Jake and Heather were out at the Green ranch. They'd checked on the horses and spent some time chopping wood to haul back to town. Worn out and chilled, they rushed into the house. Jake expertly lit a fire in the fireplace in the den. He dug out several blankets and pillows from their home in the window seat and spread them out on the floor.

"You should take your wet things off and hang them here," he told Heather, pointing to a rack near the fireplace. "They'll dry while we warm up and then we'll be ready to head back to town."

Heather hurried out of her snow-covered garments and dove into the blankets. She scooted as close the fireplace as she could and held her hands out to the blaze. Jake hung his own clothes on the rack and then joined Heather. "Maybe you'd warm up faster if we shared those blankets," Jake said, noticing Heather had covered herself with several layers.

"Maybe," Heather replied mischievously. A few moments later she relented, peeling off the blankets enough for Jake to wriggle under next to her. Jake propped several pillows up behind his back so he wasn't lying flat. Once he'd settled, Heather curled up next to him and pulled the blankets over them.

Heather had nearly dozed off when Jake's voice returned her to wakefulness. "This cold weather's had me thinking. I don't think you should be at your house by yourself."

"You want to by my roommate?" Heather asked, teasing.

"Sort of. I think you should come to my parents'."

"So you're asking me to move in with you."

"It takes a lot of fuel and a lot of work to heat a house, especially just for one person. The more people, the warmer a place will be. It's just practical for you to move over."

"Is practicality your only motive here, Jake?" Heather asked with a wicked grin.

"No," he admitted, shaking his head. "I wouldn't have to worry about you alone over there, and I'd be a lot happier seeing more of you." He paused, watching the look that spread across Heather's face. "And yes, I did mean it like that."

Heather smacked Jake lightly on the shoulder as she laughed. "You really think living with your parents is going to be conducive to _that_ sort of behavior?" Jake laughed too. "I'll think about, ok? That's a big step. I don't want to leap before I look."

"Can you think fast? Since that incident with Stanley and Mimi, I want to make sure the people I care about won't freeze to death."

The mention of Stanley and that night caused a shadow to pass over Heather's face. "Do you remember what you said out there, something about a little girl who died?" A look of hurt and guilt crept over Jake's face. "I don't want to push, Jake, but that sounds like something I might need to know about."

Jake laughed humorlessly. "I did promise to tell you the worst about me." He sat up, his shoulders hunched, head hanging; he couldn't tell this story comfortably cuddled up with Heather on his chest. "I spent almost two years in the Middle East working for Ravenwood. I drove a supply truck. I managed to stay out of trouble for the most part, but a lot of guys didn't. My last run, the convoy was ambushed by insurgents. They retreated to a small village. Ravenwood doesn't have rules of engagement like the Army does, so we just went in, guns blazing." Jake heaved a sighed. "We got the insurgents, all right, but we also got four innocent bystanders. One of them was a little girl." He shuddered. "I see her every night." He finally raised his head to look at Heather. "The worst of it is that there were no consequences. We were all just reassigned, like it didn't matter that we had murdered innocent civilians." Jake snorted. "I found out later that Ravenwood had sold those insurgents the weapons they used. The FBI wanted my friend Freddy and me to go undercover on another Ravenwood job so they could get enough evidence to take them down. Ravenwood killed Freddy because of that."

Heather's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"How can you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"Not blame me."

"I can because you beat yourself up about what happened. You wish you could fix it. You care. I'd have a problem with you if you weren't crying right now." She wrapped her arms around Jake. "I love you, Jake Green. And nothing will change that." She flashed him a smile. "And now, there's no skeletons in your closet for some future unnamed villain to dig out and throw at me."

Jake smiled back at her before kissing her deeply.

**A/N: With this, I believe Heather knows all about Jake's reasons for guilt. That does not mean this is the last scene I'll write for these two, though. **


	5. The Next Step

Gail looked up from packing her suitcase and saw Heather. She gave a sad smile. "Hi, sweetheart."

Heather entered Gail's room. "What are you going to do now?"

Gail sighed as she sat heavily on the bed. "I think I'm going out to the ranch for awhile." She let out a soft snort. "That's how Johnston dealt with things-push through until he couldn't anymore and then go off into a cave. It worked for him. I figured I'd give it a try, too." Heather sat down next to Gail and put an arm around her shoulder. Gail reciprocated by putting her arm around Heather's waist. "I'll be fine out there. I don't want the boys to worry about me; they've got enough to deal with." She gazed off into the distance. "We keep them going by falling apart ourselves." She gave Heather a squeeze. "Don't let Jake do anything stupid, ok?"

Heather nodded.

* * *

"Mom?" Jake called.

"Up here, honey," she replied.

Jake entered the room and saw the suitcase sitting on the bed. "What's up?" he asked.

"I'm going out the ranch for awhile," she said. "I just need some time alone. Come get me if you need me."

"Ok."

Gail walked over to Jake and kissed his cheek. "Sit down," she said, doing so herself. Jake obliged. Gail pulled a small box out from amidst a jumble of things on the quilt. She handed it to Jake. "I want you to have this."

Jake opened the box. "Where'd you get this?" he asked, looking at the ring nestled inside.

"It's been in the family for years. Your father and I gave it to Eric when he and April got married. After she died, he gave it back." Gail pressed her lips together. "I don't think any of us could take Mary having it." She paused, lost in memories for a moment. "And Jake, if you ever leave Hea-whoever you give it to…" She let the sentence hang ominously.

Jake grinned at his mother. "I know." He gave her a hug. "Thank you."

* * *

Several weeks later, Heather was making dinner when she heard Jake walk in. She set her utensils down as Jake walked into the kitchen. She threw herself at him. "I heard the Rangers were going to New Bern," she said.

Jake nodded. "I stopped them."

Heather shifted as she became aware of something uncomfortably pressing into her side. "What's in your pocket?" she asked.

"Oh, that," Jake said. He pulled out a badge. "I'm the sheriff now."

Heather stared at the badge for a few moments. "I guess that's why Major Beck was offering me a job in the office. He wants Maggie and me to keep an eye on things happening in New Bern."

"Are you gonna do it?" Jake asked.

"I think so. The sooner we get things under control, the better. The major seems like a nice guy. I want to do what I can to help." Jake looked at her and tightened his grip ever so slightly. Heater grinned at him. "No need to be jealous," she said, moving to hug him again. "What's with your pockets today? There's something else in there."

"Yeah, there is," Jake replied. He set the badge down on the counter. He reached into his pocket again and drew out a small box. "Mom gave it to me right before she left. It's become a tradition for Green brides to wear this ring."

Heather's mouth fell open as Jake flipped the box open. "It seems proposals are not my strong suit," Jake said, "but I'm hoping you won't hold that against me. Marry me?"

Tears filled Heather's eyes. "Yes," she managed.

Jake pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Heather's finger and followed up with a kiss. It was only interrupted when Heather suddenly jerked back with a cry. "Dinner's burning!" she exclaimed, taking a step toward the stove.

Jake pulled her back. "Dinner's not important."

"No," she agreed.

* * *

**A/N: When's this set? During s2 episode 1, 'Reconstruction.' At least Jake wasn't drinking for this proposal. ;-) And they won't change their minds later. I had Gail go out the ranch instead of a random town we've never heard of before. Heather still winds up working for Beck, but Maggie has to as well since Heather wasn't in New Bern to learn about Constantino's posse.**

**To see how I envision the ring: bridesmine dot com 2011/04/difference-styles-and-eras-vintage-wedding-rings/vintage-style-wedding-rings/**


	6. After the War

Jake trudged down the road, a tumult of emotions swirling inside. Grief over the loss of his father and the others who had died fighting for Jericho, fury at Constantino, distrust of this Major Beck who waltzed in and seized control. So caught up was Jake that he barely registered Heather's presence at his side or that as they continued down the dusty road, she lagged further and further behind. He was only pulled out of his reverie by a dull thud behind him. He turned to see Heather collapsed in a heap in the middle of the road, her breathing rapid and shallow and her shoulders shaking.

"Heather!" he cried. He knew trying to get her to stand would be pointless, so he did the only other thing that came to his mind, the same thing Heather had done for him countless times as he recounted his dark past, relived a terrible memory, or woke from yet another nightmare. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back and arms with soothing circular motions.

It wasn't often Heather broke down and at this moment, it was a little too much for Jake. Tears slid down his cheeks, mirroring the ones on Heather's. Some time later, Jake didn't know how much later, vehicles approached. Jake managed to raise his head and saw a line of Humvees appear, but he made no move to get out of the way. The lead vehicle rolled to halt and the driver got out-it was Major Beck. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"No," Jake replied.

Ignoring his tone, Beck ordered two of his men to help Jake and Heather into the Humvee. As Beck climbed back inside, he said, "I'll drop you off. I just need directions."

Jake nodded. They rode in silence until Beck asked, "Is she hurt?"

Jake shook his head. With an edge in his voice, he said, "She was just shooting at people from her hometown. Those people killed our neighbors, our friends…my father."

Beck didn't reply. He didn't say anything for the rest of the journey.

Jake gently guided Heather out of the vehicle. He turned back and said, "Thank you for the lift, Major." Beck nodded.

Once inside, Jake eyed the stairs in exhaustion. Deciding against trying to get Heather upstairs, he opted instead to make for the couch. He gently forced Heather to sit and then flopped down next to her.

The next thing he was aware of was Heather curling her arms around him. He looked down at her. "Better?" he asked softly.

"A little," she replied. "Thanks."

"Hey, I owed you," he said, managing a small smile. They remained on the couch in silence a long time. "Heather?" Jake whispered eventually.

"Yeah?"

"Does it ever stop hurting?"

"It's different for everyone." She gave him a squeeze. "But it won't always hurt this much," she added.


	7. The Prom Queen

"Heather?" Jake called as he wandered through the house. He heard rustling coming from what had been April's room so he poked his head in the doorway. He caught a glimpse of white as Heather hastily zipped up a garment bag. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Heather hung her head guiltily. "You weren't supposed to be home for a while yet," she said, evading the question.

"I finished early." He stared at Heather. It was the first time he'd ever seen Heather try to hide something-she wasn't good at it. "What's going on?"

Heather sighed. "Alright." She unzipped the bag and pulled out the contents.

"Where did you get that?" Jake asked, gazing with amazement at the slinky white dress spread out before him.

Heather made an apologetic face. "It's Emily's. I brought it here before the refugees moved into her house." She frowned. "Do you think it would be too weird if I borrowed it?"

"No, but I'm not a girl."

"It's just that I won't be able to get my own dress and Emily's gone. But on the other hand, it's Emily's dress and she was involved with you and I would be wearing her dress to marry you…"

"Heather, don't worry about it. You have a point. If you want a dress, this is it. If Emily were here, I'm sure she'd be the first to offer it."

Heather sat on the edge of the bed. "Probably." Heather sighed. "I thought I knew Emily pretty well. She was sweet and bubbly and she and Roger were so happy, it was sickening sometimes. Then you showed up and she got all broody and vindictive."

Jake smiled wryly. "I do that to people." He sat down next to Heather.

"Not to me," Heather said.

"Do you even have a vindictive side?" Jake asked teasingly.

Heather gave him her best mysterious look. "Perhaps," she said. Then she giggled. "Not normally. There was this one time in high school…"

"Oh?" Jake said.

"It was my senior prom. I had a curfew and it was getting close. I'd spent the entire night hanging out with the guys and their dates. I was sitting with Ted chatting and I'm pretty sure he was just about to finally ask me to dance when Rebecca Hatfield walked up. We were best friends in elementary school, but by high school we couldn't stand each other. She was the stereotypical blonde cheerleader who had all the boys chasing her. I swear she'd just been waiting the whole night for someone to ask me to dance so she could swoop in. 'Oh, Ted,'" Heather trilled in imitation of Rebecca, "'I've been looking for you. I'm ready for my dance now.' Rebecca was not the sort of girl boys said no to. Ted didn't even look back at me as they walked off. I knew he wouldn't ask me after that and I only had a few minutes left. So I used my engineering skills to set up a little surprise for Rebecca. When she sat down on her little prom queen throne, a cocktail of ketchup, mustard, relish, punch, and whatever other liquid I could find splattered all over her bubblegum pink dress right as the camera flashed for the yearbook photos."

Jake laughed, then shuddered thinking about 90s attire. "It was probably an improvement." He leaned over to give Heather a kiss. "I wouldn't let anybody distract me from dancing with you," he added with a mischievous grin.

"That reminds me," said Heather, "what are we going to do about the ceremony and reception?"

Jake blew out his breath. "I kind of assumed we'd be at Bailey's."

"So not inviting the entire town then."

"Why should we? It's a special moment for us, not everyone in town."

"I agree, I just can't help but think of all the offended people we're gonna have to deal with."

"They can not invite us somewhere then."

Heather smiled, but suddenly it was replaced by a frown. "Is Gray going to have to marry us?" she asked.

Jake snorted. "The mayor has nothing to do with it anymore. Since Cheyenne established itself, all the less important legal matters and paperwork have been delegated to J&R. All we need to do is visit the J&R office, sign a form in front of the rep, and bam! We're married. We can still do the ceremony and stuff, we just have to have the paperwork first."

"How long do you think we need to wait? Mary will let us use Bailey's anytime and I'm sure the same goes for Reverend Young. We really just need to get your mom and give everyone we're inviting a few days' notice." Heather took a deep breath. "You sure lucked out Jake. Since the bombs, this wedding planning is a breeze."

"Something to be thankful for," Jake replied as Heather gave him a playful smack.

* * *

The next day, Jake and Heather paid a visit to the J&R office. They were sent upstairs and were greeted with a friendly, "Welcome to J&R, Sheriff. This must be the lucky lady."

"This is Heather. Heather, this is Trish."

Trish extended her hand across the counter to Heather. "It's wonderful to meet you. I assume you're here for your marriage license?"

Jake nodded. Trish smiled and grabbed the appropriate form. She slid it toward Jake and Jake handed Trish both his and Heather's IDs. As Jake and Heather took turns filling in the form, Trish made light conversation. "You're only the second couple whose marriage I've been involved in," Trish said. "The other one was at Black Jack just before I was transferred here. Come to think of it, they were from Jericho, too. Let's see…both blonde, what were their names?" Trish stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Roger! Roger and…"

"Emily?" Jake supplied.

"That's it! Roger and Emily. Did you know them?"

"Pretty well," Jake replied. "They were at Black Jack?"

"Yep," Trish said, "about a month ago? They mentioned they were sort of nomads for the time being. They had a shady looking guy with them. I hope they weren't in any trouble."

"It was probably her dad," Jake said.

"I'm surprised Emily agreed to that," Heather said.

"I'd bet they ran into him outside of town and Roger talked her into traveling with him. He wouldn't pass up an opportunity of keeping Emily safe and he's a smart guy. Their chances are better of making it wherever they're headed with Jonah along." Jake double-checked the form, then handed it to Trish. "I think we did it right."

Trish did her thing and soon handed Jake back the form, Heather's new ID and Jake's updated one. "Congratulations. You're all set."

* * *

Back at the house, Heather sat on the couch. "So, we're official now. You could scandalize the town calling me Mrs. Green." Jake laughed. "I suppose we should wait until we do it properly," she said. "Did you find a suit yet?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna borrow one of Eric's." Jake sat down next to her. "While I was talking to him, he said he wanted you to have these." Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of earrings. "They were April's. It's his wedding present."

Heather took the sparkling sapphires in her hand. "They're beautiful. Well, we've got the borrowed and blue covered." She glanced down at the ring on her left hand. "And the old. What about new?"

Jake shrugged. "Three out of four isn't bad."

Heather rolled her eyes, but was forced to agree. Finding something new was probably impossible.

* * *

Gail slipped into the small alcove where Heather was making her last minute adjustments to her hair and dress. She smiled and handed Heather a small bouquet of bluebells tied with a white ribbon. "First of the season," Gail said in a hushed voice.

"Something new," Heather said. She threw her arms around Gail. "Thank you. Now everything's perfect."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Gail gave her another squeeze.

Gail took her seat and nodded at the organist. Every head turned as the familiar chords rang out. Heather took a shaky step forward. She took a deep breath, ignoring the faces around her, and locked eyes with Jake as she began her walk down the aisle.

* * *

Jake escorted his bride into Bailey's tavern amidst a flurry of cheers. They waved and smiled before joining Gail and Eric at a table. Mary swung by as she could between thirsty customers. Fortunately, the group was rather small, so Mary had enough smuggled booze to wet everyone's whistle amply.

Gail beamed at Heather. She noticed Jake absent-mindedly fingering the silver band on his fourth finger. "I meant to ask where you'd found a ring for Jake."

"It was my dad's," Heather replied. "He gave it to me before he went into the hospital. I kept it for a surprise."

After Eric and Stanley had given toasts, Jake signaled Mary to hit the jukebox. Jake had convinced Heather to let him choose their first song. He'd noticed Heather's affinity for country music, and though it wasn't his favorite, he did like a few songs and knew exactly which one should be their song. Jake held out his hand and led Heather to the dance floor, which the guests had cleared as the music began.

_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart_

_Without sayin' a word you light up the dark_

_Try as I may I could never explain_

_What I hear when you don't say a thing_

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me_

_There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me_

_A touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall_

_You say it best when you say nothing at all_

_All day long I can hear people talking out loud_

_But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd_

_Old Mr. Webster could never define_

_What's being said between your heart and mine_

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me_

_There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me_

_A touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall_

_You say it best when you say nothing at all_

* * *

**A/N: Poor Roger and Emily. I keep abandoning them with ideas for Heather and Jake. I guess it's obvious which couple I like more. About the title, I had intended this to be shorter, but it wanted to keep going.**

**Setting, pretty darn soon after Jake proposes. I'm beginning to get a little fuzzy as to how much time is between and covered in episodes in s2. **

**Thanks to tv dot com for finding Reverend Young's name. **

**The earrings: The first picture, the dangling ones with the diamond shape on top: aboutsapphirejewelry dot com/sapphire-articles/sapphire-earrings-for-september-born/ **

**Song: **_**When You Say Nothing At All **_**by Keith Whitley**


End file.
